NRA’s Murder Insurance Program Hit with $7 Million Fine
May 3, 2018
State of New York Fine Comes After Two Insurance Giants Agree to Drop the Program
WASHINGTON -- Guns Down, a bolder, broader movement calling for dramatically fewer guns in America, released the following statement after the State of New York announced today it has slapped the NRA’s Carry Guard program with a $7 million fine. The investigation found the NRA improperly conducted business without a license and “unlawfully provided liability insurance to gun owners who may be charged with a crime.”
“Not only have the insurance companies involved dropped the NRA, but insurance regulators are now making it clear that the NRA’s murder insurance program encouraging people to shoot first and ask questions second is a threat to the safety of people everywhere and won’t be tolerated,” said Igor Volsky, Director of Guns Down. “Now is the time for states everywhere to take action to ensure that the NRA’s reckless and irresponsible murder insurance program ends once and for all.”
View the full release from the New York State Department of Financial Services here.
The two insurance companies behind the NRA’s program, Lockton and Chubb, agreed to end the NRA’s Carry Guard program following a campaign led by Guns Down. Reuters reported that Chubb gave the notice just a month after the campaign, led by Sybrina Fulton, mother of Trayvon Martin, was launched. Lockton, meanwhile, made its announcement the same day Guns Down flew a banner over its corporate headquarters.
The campaign, led by Guns Down and Color of Change also included Newtown Action Alliance, One Pulse for America, Pride Fund to End Gun Violence and Safe Campus, Colorado.
Hosted at https://stopmurderinsurance.org/, the petitions targeted the NRA’s “Carry Guard” insurance program, a new insurance product introduced last year that covers NRA members who shoot someone with a firearm, offering up to $250,000 in immediate payments for criminal defense, and payments for what it calls “cleanup costs,” a replacement firearm, bail, bonds, and psychological support.
A program like NRA’s Carry Guard could have provided up to $1.5 million to George Zimmerman, who was found not guilty by a jury in the shooting of 17 year old Trayvon Martin in 2012. Zimmerman later settled out of court in a separate civil suit.
The policies, which range in cost from $14 to $49 a month were administered by Lockton Affinityand insured by Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company.
Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company, reportedaround $35 billion in revenue in 2016. The company has offices in Zurich, London and New York, among others. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Lockton Inc is the world’s largest privately-held insurance broker, reporting around $1.3 billion in revenue in 2016.
The public campaign was launched Oct 19th, about two months after the organizations sent private letters to Chubb and Lockton asking the companies to end their work with the NRA.